Parents Should Have Backups, Like Quarterbacks
 

I'm ready to call in the second string. The wife and I need a bye week.

My 23 year old is in hospital again, for pretty much the same thing as last Christmas. Searing headaches, diminished cognition, and...new this time out...a bit of amnesia.

He went back to the ER Tuesday night/Wednesday early AM for the second time in a little under two weeks. Again, Demerol and Tordal (sp?) didnt touch it. A CAT scan showed an increase in the size of his ventricles, so he was admitted, and now awaits the arrival of a nucleotide-based dye so that a shuntogram can be performed to ascertain the functionality level of his VP shunt. Yes, the same one that he had replaced in December.

All this caps off a month of having the two who still live at home back and forth from ER's for headaches, to follow up doctor appointments for same, and for in and outpatient psychotherapy for the youngest.

Sometimes it seems like there's no light at the end of the tunnel, you know?

Anyway, the wife and I will be spending the upcoming days in the hospital, acting as advocates, monitors and interpretors for my oldest. Wish us luck.

Good luck Elspode, my thoughts are with you and your family.

Hang in there, Elspode.

I admire you and your wife's dedication. You are obviously incredible people.

I wish you luck Patrick, and admire your strength and dedication.

El, energy to you and your family.

You can handle this Patrick all our strength to you bro.

They are going to do the shuntogram today sometime. I cannot recommend consecutive nights sleeping in a hospital chair and then having to go to work (although it is a very nice, reclining hospital chair).

The boy is actually doing quite well right now. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, though. I mean, he's comfortable and pain-free, but if he's not symptomatic when the test is done, then they probably won't find anything, send him home, and then we'll go through all of this again in another week.

When my daughter was in the NICU, there was a sleeping room available for parents. It wasn't much, but it was a least a real bed. Maybe there is something like that available? Would they let you bring in a cot to your son's room? No matter how old your baby is, it's terrible to see them suffer and not be able to help. My thoughts are with you and your family.

There was no sleeping room at CHOP when I was there for a week with my son, just a window seat/bench thing (which was actually more comfortable than the extremely narrow wooden benches in the ER). My sister stayed with us one night and slept on a conference table.

Oh, Els, my thoughts are with you and yours. hang in, hang in. This too shall pass. Peace to you.

Well, they put the dye in his shunt...and it didn't go anywhere. That was bad. The doc decided to wait an hour, and go look at it again. It had then done what it was supposed to do.

Diagnosis? Dunno. Maybe the shunt works, maybe it doesn't. As the kid is not presently symptomatic, he was discharged and is now home. But wait...there's more!

While my wife was sitting with my son, awaiting his discharge, the eldest stepson called from school to say that he had been suspended for five days for fighting...over a candy bar.

That was right before the middle kid called with a migraine requiring an ER trip. I picked him up, took him to the ER, and my wife came down and stayed with him while I went and got my son discharged.

We're all home now...but we're all real nervous.

Elspode,
My heart goes out to you and your family. I'm glad that you are home, it's somehow better to be nervous there I think.
My thoughts are with you.

As for the candy bar, we all deal with stress in different ways.
If others could see the stupid things my wife and I fight about when we are stressed, it would make a candy bar seem like high stakes.

Christ, I gotta check this area for threads more often. :(
Bummer, my friend. You nor the kid need this shit. I guess there's not much we can do to help except send you good vibes, each in their own way.
You know all you have to do is say the word and we will find a way to make things happen if you need it.
Last time you had just started your new job, are you more comfortable with that aspect now. Although your boss was pretty understanding before IIRC.
Play some music, it's good for your head.

Day Two without a serious trauma begins. The suspendee is being extremely contrite, servile and downright solicitous. We have been using him as slave labor, and he has been largely without complaint. Humility and penance are good things, especially for Mrs. Elspode, who has pretty much used up her stress credits at this point.

As we are both organizational officers and have a monthly meeting today, we've had to spend a lot of time prepping for our various responsibilities this weekend, but at least we were here and able to do it instead of holed up in a hospital room.

Eldest son has decided that he feels well enough to have a try at going to work today. Youngest is at his father's house, from which he usually returns sick, so the jury is out on that factor until this evening.

Our goal is a week without a major health crisis. Send good vibes, and thanks for the commisseration...